"Okay, sister-in-law, I promise I won't go out."
Qianqian solemnly promised.
"Yes, sister-in-law, I will definitely take good care of my sister and the house."
Xiao Lei knew his sister-in-law was a little worried, so he had to reassure her.
The next morning, Wei Yuyan steamed white buns and cooked porridge.
Since there were no pickled vegetables, Wei Yuyan stir-fried green and red peppers to eat with the porridge, making it salty and spicy.
"Sister-in-law, let's go."
Wei Yuyan finished washing the dishes when Sister-in-law Xiuhua arrived.
"Let's go."
Wei Yuyan took the money bag, which contained six hundred coins. She didn't know if it would be enough to buy things today.
"Sister-in-law, what are you planning to buy first?"
When they were almost in town, Brother Zhang asked Wei Yuyan which direction to go first.
"Let's go buy a kimchi jar first. What are you planning to buy today?"
Wei Yuyan asked Xiuhua's sister-in-law.
"I'll also buy a kimchi jar; one kimchi jar at home doesn't feel enough."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua doesn't need anything else.
"Thank you both for your help today. How about you come to my house for lunch?"
Wei Yuyan felt really embarrassed and thought she would buy some meat later and invite Brother Zhang and his wife to dinner.
"Sister-in-law, how can you keep calling us to eat? Look, your family has run out of food."
We're already buying grain to eat. If you really want us to eat, wait until your rice harvest is over."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua didn't want to take advantage of Wei Yuyan. Her own family had food, while her younger brother's family was short of food. How could she always go to her younger brother's family for meals?
"Alright then, since you've said that, I won't invite you. I'll just owe you this meal."
Wei Yuyan didn't stand on ceremony with Sister-in-law Xiuhua.
"Yes, that's fine."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua nodded in agreement.
"When we arrive, you two go and see for yourselves. I'll watch the oxcart from outside."
Brother Zhang decided not to go in. There were people coming and going on the street, and if he wasn't careful, the cow might run away or hurt someone.
Wei Yuyan and Sister-in-law Xiuhua jumped down and went into the shop selling jars and pots.
"What would you two ladies like to buy?"
The boss gave us a warm welcome.
"How much does one of these kimchi jars cost?"
Sister-in-law Xiuhua pointed to the jar on the ground. It was about knee-high for Wei Yuyan, and wide enough that Wei Yuyan probably couldn't wrap her arms around it.
"These cost fifty coins each."
The boss responded with a grin.
"One hundred and twenty coins for three. Will you sell them?"
Wei Yuyan immediately cut the price by thirty coins.
"That's impossible, there aren't enough, we can't sell them."
The boss looked pained.
"Then we're leaving."
Wei Yuyan pulled Xiuhua's sister-in-law along and prepared to leave.
"Hey, ladies, this is a small business. Here's the deal: I'll sell them to you forty-five coins each, that's my lowest price."
Seeing that the two were really about to leave, the shopkeeper quickly chased after them and said it would be five coins cheaper per person.
"Okay, deal. Could you please help us load it onto the oxcart outside?"
Wei Yuyan took out her money bag and started counting the money. She counted out a total of 135 coins and put them on the counter.
"Sister-in-law, where did you learn to bargain so well? I overpaid before. I bought them for forty-eight coins each."
As they walked out of the shop, Sister-in-law Xiuhua couldn't help but give Wei Yuyan a thumbs up; she was truly amazing.
"Sister-in-law Xiuhua, you're joking. I actually think I didn't perform well just now."
Wei Yuyan felt a hint of smugness.
"You're being hypocritical, you got the benefit but still act innocent."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua couldn't help but pat Wei Yuyan's bottom.
"Now we're going to the grain store."
Brother Zhang started heading west, because he heard that the prices were most affordable there.
"I need 63 jin of wheat flour a month to make steamed buns, so I'll buy 65 jin this time."
Wei Yuyan calculated that adding some cornmeal when making steamed buns could save a little money.
The main problem is that we have a lot of cornmeal at home, so we mostly eat rice now.
Speaking of rice, Wei Yuyan still needs to buy rice, as she's run out of rice at home.
"So many, I'll have to buy this many every month from now on."
Brother Zhang couldn't help but sigh, his sister-in-law must earn several taels of silver a month.
"Yes, we need to buy rice again today, we've run out at home."
Wei Yuyan was glad she had brought 600 coins with her, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to buy rice.
"Sister-in-law, you can't let others know about the kind of life your family leads."
"So that people won't know your family is well-off and that you're just a widow and her orphan."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua was worried that thieves might be after Wei Yuyan's money.
"Yes, I know Sister Xiuhua, but I don't think we can hide it for long. People in the village will definitely see us selling steamed buns in public."
Wei Yuyan thought she would deal with whatever came her way; no matter what, she was earning money through her own labor.
"Sister-in-law, if anyone asks, just say it's a business partnership between our two families."
That way they won't dare to have any designs on us, and no one in the village dares to bully our Zhang family."
Brother Zhang also thought of this aspect and offered suggestions to Wei Yuyan.
"Okay, that's what I'll say then."
Wei Yuyan thought this was a good idea, so that others wouldn't be too envious.
"Sister-in-law, the grain has arrived."
Xiuhua's sister-in-law reminded her.
"Okay, you guys wait here for me, I'll go bargain."
Wei Yuyan had already started thinking about how to negotiate the price.
"Madam, what kind of grain would you like to buy?"
A waiter came over to serve us. The shop was quite large, and there were two waiters in total.
"I need 65 jin of wheat flour and 15 jin of rice. How much of a discount can I get?"
Wei Yuyan only had 465 coins on her, which wasn't enough to pay even without bargaining.
"Please wait a moment while I calculate it. Please have a seat."
Upon hearing that the amount was quite substantial, the waiter quickly brought over a chair.
Wei Yuyan didn't sit down, but looked at the other grains. There were soybeans here, which would definitely make delicious soybean paste.
I don't have enough money today, so I can't buy it now. I'll buy it next time. There are also red beans, which are perfect for making red bean paste rolls.
"Madam, eighty catties of grain, which is four hundred and eighty coins in total. I can only give you a discount of ten coins, making it four hundred and seventy coins. I can't give you any more discounts."
The waiter walked over with a smile.
"I only have 465 coins in this money bag, will you sell it to me?"
Wei Yuyan patted the money bag on her body.
"this……".
The shopkeeper was a little conflicted. If the shopkeeper knew he was giving such a big discount, he would definitely scold him.
But if I disagree, the guests will leave and scold me, so I'm caught in a dilemma.
"What's wrong, Afu~".
A man happened to walk in from outside and saw the waiter scratching his head, so he couldn't help but go up and ask.
"Shopkeeper, this lady wants to buy eighty catties of fine grains."
She said she only brought 465 coins, and that was all she had in her purse, so she offered us a 15-coin discount.
Ah Fu breathed a sigh of relief; his savior had finally arrived. He quickly passed the problem on to the shopkeeper.
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